‘Beast of Wombwell’ penned ex chilling warning before stabbing girl, 14, in head

Sex monster Peter Pickering warned “watch what ­happens next” in a letter after his girlfriend dumped him – and days later 14-year-old Elsie Frost was dead. She was murdered – stabbed five times, twice in the head. It was a crime for which the Beast of Wombwell would never pay. His chilling letter of intent was never posted and Pickering cheated justice, escaping prosecution over Elsie’s slaughter for more than 50 years. Seven years after that murder, in 1972, he went on to rape a teenager and murder another 14-year-old, Shirley Boldy from Barnsley, South Yorks. Today the Mirror reveals the extraordinary police investigation which finally uncovered “damning” and “compelling” evidence of Pickering being Elsie’s killer, shortly before his death this year. West Yorkshire Police discovered Pickering had two secret lock-ups in Sheffield and Liverpool, crammed full with suitcases. Inside, officers had found handcuffs, women’s underwear, diaries, letters, paintings and exercise books filled with his vile rantings. They also discovered the unposted letter dated October 1965, which he had written to a girlfriend, who lived minutes away from the Elsie Frost murder scene. She had dumped him and he had ranted: “You have caused me to do what I’m about to do – you watch what happens next!” “…I will surely go down in flames this time…I shall have to take someone with me when I go. So now what? To join the Devil…now I’m really going to get good and bloody nasty. Thanks to you.” He finished by telling… [Read full story]